Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Awesome Signs of the Week

During my first trip to Vegas I made the mistake of telling my cab driver that it was my first time there. Well to clarify, she asked if it was my first time and I made the mistake of saying yes. The trip to my hotel (that was off the strip and easily accessible without even hitting Las Vegas Blvd) took three times as long, cost 4 times as much, but most fantastically took me right down the strip. I was awe-struck. I felt like I was on an huuuuge Cruise Ship or Movie Set!

We all know how I love bright, funky signs so this was like paradise. There were lights and signs everywhere. Some casinos were a little more "refined" and chose to advertise their property through extravagant buildings, statues, fountain displays. I'd count Mandalay Bay, Caesars Palace and Bellagio among those. Then there are the old school casinos that go for the bright, gaudy, absolutely fabulous signs: The Riviera, the Flamingo, and The Sahara among others. These are the signs that rely on lightbulbs and colors and the flash of Vegas from the 1940s and 50s (though not all the signs date from then). Love, love, love those.

So on my second trip to Vegas, I watched from my hotel as they took down the old Barbary Coast sign. They were fantastic 5' tall light bulb studded letters and I started wondering if it was possible to finagle the "R" to take home (it could look very cool in the corner of my apartment. Look at the photos below and you can see the letters in all their glory). When I gave up on that dream I started to wonder where all these signs went. It would be so sad if they were scrapped and that little part of tacky history was gone.

But luckily it's not so! Yes they are left to rot and disintegrate, but they get to do it all together at the Neon Boneyard. I'm hoping to go there during my next visit in a couple of weeks (I will actually have time to do touristy things!), because this place looks fantastic. They have used it as a backdrop for a lot of print ads as well as Wedding Photography (which would be awesome)!